340 Weatherby

[Europe]

The thread recently about the 35 Whelen, which also brought about conversation about the Newton, promoted this question, as I did not want to hijack that thread.

I know that Fotis, Charles, John, Cheyenne's husband. my late husband and others love (d) the 340. It can push a 250 faster, further and hit with more authority than the 338 win, 35 Whelen, Newton can push a 225-----so besides the obvious reason that most of you just want one of each, why are there not more 340 Weatherby fans out there ( for Elk, Moose, Buffalo, Brown Bear, even caribou). Is it the action length, weight, recoil that scares people away from it or ??

 

[Thebear_78]

There is definitely nothing wrong with the 340 bee! It has been getting it done by for years! I think the biggest downfall of the cartridge is it’s too much of a good thing for most hunters. Recoil is pretty stout and it’s generally found in a very heavy rifle.

A lack of factory rifles is another shortfall. Weatherby rifles tend to be more expensive than your average Remington or Winchester.

Third is the fact that there are superior case designs out there. 330 Dakota, 338 RUM, 338 edge, and 33 nosler, are just better case designs than a belted cartridge. So a custom build might look to one of them.

The biggest appeal of the 338/06, 35 whelen, and 338 win mag is the fact that they can do the heavy lifting without the excess recoil. Modest velocity medium weight for caliber bullets that just plain work.

Last but not least, bullet technology has made smaller, lighter bullets so effective that you can use a lighter .308 cal bullet with the same effect, Less recoil, and less cost. No longer are heavier larger bullets required to anchor game.


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[FOTIS]

Many cannot handle the recoil I think. I know some BIG guys (physically) who muzzle brake their 300 wins!

 

[c. schutte]

April,

I think the reasons have been already stated. And on this site there are many who have a real appreciation for some other cartridges and classics that will pretty much do what the 340 will do or at least 99%.

In reading the Bear's post I can't make an argument against anything he said............... I still love the one rifle you & I are familiar with and it must have a fast barrel. Factory ammo; 250 grain SP's get 3050 fps and my hand loads will send a 240 grain NF at 3088 in hot weather. That's cooking with grease and I understand there are "better designed cases" but this old belted design gets under .5 MOA in that rifle with both factory and hand loads. I just can't believe there is any real improvement in other designs. Maybe for long yardage?

In the weatherby accumark it's not light and not really the best mountain rifle I suppose. I carry mine well enough and it's really the extra weight I carry personally that gets me before the rifle......... And it will settle down nicely on sticks or a back pack. That extra weight helps keep the cross hairs steady too.

For me the .340 is all about the 250 grain bullet or in my case the 240 gr. NF. Going again for elk this Fall and you can bet this rifle will be with me. If ever lucky enough to go for bear in Alaska it will also be the rifle. A little extra weight, a little extra horse power & a little extra bullet but, extreme confidence it will do whatever is asked.

 

[69gto]

I just got a new Weathermark and it likes 210g partitions the best so at 3200fps that's what I will use. This the second 340 that I have owned and I like 338 Win also but I really like Weatherby MarkV's. The 338 cal kills elk a lot better than a 30 cal., I have witnessed it and have experience with both on numerous elk. If shooting 400lb cows probably not much difference but 800 to 1000 lb bulls there is especially with a hit too far back.

 

[truck driver]

Well April I think your question has been answered but for me the 338wm is all I want to shoot unless the big boomer has a muzzle break and I don't like the noise generated by the brake.
I'm cheap also and that steers me away from Weatherby rifles. My Winchesters,Rugers and Remingtons get the job done But I did own a Weatherby Vanguard once and liked the rifle but not the cartridge it was chambered in (300Bee) so I sold it.
I find shooting my 300wm a delight off the bench compared to the 300Bee I once owned.

 

[SJB358]

There is definitely nothing wrong with the 340 bee! It has been getting it done by for years! I think the biggest downfall of the cartridge is it’s too much of a good thing for most hunters. Recoil is pretty stout and it’s generally found in a very heavy rifle.

A lack of factory rifles is another shortfall. Weatherby rifles tend to be more expensive than your average Remington or Winchester.

Third is the fact that there are superior case designs out there. 330 Dakota, 338 RUM, 338 edge, and 33 nosler, are just better case designs than a belted cartridge. So a custom build might look to one of them.

The biggest appeal of the 338/06, 35 whelen, and 338 win mag is the fact that they can do the heavy lifting without the excess recoil. Modest velocity medium weight for caliber bullets that just plain work.

Last but not least, bullet technology has made smaller, lighter bullets so effective that you can use a lighter .308 cal bullet with the same effect, Less recoil, and less cost. No longer are heavier larger bullets required to anchor game.


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I’ll add great optics and rangefinders make uber fast stuff fun to read about and stomp your feet but honestly anything after 500 requires some holdover so what’s the difference between .3 mils or .5 when you’re adjusting.

With the right Bullets or decently shaped bullet, a 250 AccuBond started at around 2750 is probably pretty close to passing the NF 240 started at 3000 by the 300 yard line, maybe further but the Bullets matter much more than the head stamps.

Awesome cartridge but they are all more alike than different these days. .

 

[JD338]

April,

Good question and one that I could never figure out an answer for. I love my 338 RUM and all the power it delivers both near and far. I did put a brake on it when I started shooting the 300;gr AB but after a year went back to the 250 gr bullets. Even off the bench or prone, recoil isn't that bad. And when hunting, you never notice the recoil.
I do like the .33 Cal's. They have a plethora of bullets to choose from, they hit hard and they shoot fairly flat when you pick a bullet with a decent BC.
Having said that I still don't understand why more hunters are not using the 340 Wby Mag.

JD338

 

[truck driver]

Jim your right when you say you never feel the recoil when shooting at game but off the bench 20 rounds is all I want from my 338wm and I will admit that I put a 1/2" sissy pad under my Tee shirt when I shoot off the bench even though it has a decent recoil pad on it.
Shoot the big .33 off a bench with out a brake is what gets most people and once they get hurt by one they want no more of them.

 

[FOTIS]

Love my 340 bee. Using it for elk this year. Mine is the weathermark.

 

[Anonymous]

The only thing wrong with the .340WBY is that it's seldom found in anything outside of a MkV. The 300WBY has been chambered by several makers and is available in the Vanguard.

Not that there's anything wrong with a MkV at all...but the cost of one has limited the popularity of the cartridge considerably. While the 33s are very popular here, the .338WM can deliver 95% of the performance for a third of the cost.

After helping set up a 33NOS...I'll have to report that I was darn impressed. I'm not sure there's enough difference in the 33NOS, the .338RUM and the .340WBY to make a case one way of the other.

 

[Europe]

Thanks guys

Basically, the short answer I am reading here, is the new is replacing the old----I know just how the 340 Weatherby feels

 

[mjcmichigan]

Sako has a 340Wby.


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[SJB358]

Plus 338’s as a whole aren’t all together that popular. They are even less popular now that we have such a selection of super Bullets available. Don’t need a 250 grain 338 Bullet any longer to shoot thru an elk or a moose when a 140 bonded, Partitioned, or mono out of a 270/280 will do just about the same thing with less recoil and rifle weight.

Still they are horses when it comes to putting a lot of mass on target and are pretty fun to shoot if they are set up right.

 

[c. schutte]

Plus 338’s as a whole aren’t all together that popular. They are even less popular now that we have such a selection of super Bullets available. Don’t need a 250 grain 338 Bullet any longer to shoot thru an elk or a moose when a 140 bonded, Partitioned, or mono out of a 270/280 will do just about the same thing with less recoil and rifle weight.

Still they are horses when it comes to putting a lot of mass on target and are pretty fun to shoot if they are set up right.

Agreed!

I ended up putting a Vias brake on it. Not really necessary for shooting but it does keep muzzle jump controlled from the bench. My only complaint against Wby's is their trigger. Admittedly I'm a trigger snob so a 2 lb. timney also found it's way on this rifle. Using low mounts and a scope with a 45mm objective. Not a whole lot of room under the bell though. The wby stocks fit me well so this rifle is a pleasure to shoot. It's a lot of energy and if your form is not correct it'll show up for sure!

I'm also a fan of the accumark platform which will ensure that moisture will not allow any stock/barrel interactions. This rifle is dead nuts accurate and shoots 1.5" groups at 300 yards.

Pretty sure all the horse power is not needed with today's improved bullets. That said if I go to Alaska I would have a darn good rifle for whatever the game is and some good insurance for bear?

 

[69gto]

Nosler partitions have been around for what 60 years? I don't see these so called super bullets doing anything much better. From my experience a 338 Partition kills with more authority than one from a smaller caliber if going similar velocity, the larger the frontal area with equal penetration equals more damage and trauma.

 

[Thebear_78]

I’ve put a 168gr TTSX all the way thru a bull moose stem to stern. 5+ feet of penetration, Hard for any bulker to do more than that. With equal placement the new super bullets are really narrowing any gab between calibers


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[SJB358]

Nosler partitions have been around for what 60 years? I don't see these so called super bullets doing anything much better. From my experience a 338 Partition kills with more authority than one from a smaller caliber if going similar velocity, the larger the frontal area with equal penetration equals more damage and trauma.

John, couldn’t agree more. I’m a huge 338/35 caliber fan and especially a Partition fan. Taken a fair number of animals with them. Lately I’ve been using the smaller 7mm and a little 338. What I’ve seen is that a 7mm that maintains more frontal area than an average 338 Bullet but penetrating as far seems to kill animals just as dead and fast as I used to think the 338/358’s were. When you ramp up the 338/358’s with the wider expanding Bullets they just act even better.

TBear, that’s a wicked example of performance right there. Saw the 300 RUM and Wby really hammer elk with the 200 grain AccuBond. Was amazed at how far they penetrated and the amount of expansion that occurred as well.